How could artists, organizers and formerly incarcerated women use posters to free women for mother's day?
WHAT:We’re looking for 6 artists to work with a powerful group of formerly incarcerated women to co-create a poster series to raise money to bail out black mothers and caregivers for mother's day
WHO:The People’s Paper Co-op is a women led, women focused, women powered art and advocacy project at the Village of Arts and Humanities in North Philadelphia. The PPC looks to women in reentry as the leading criminal justice experts our society needs to hear from and uses art to amplify their stories, dreams, and visions for a more just and free world.
In 2018, the People’s Paper Co-op collaborated with the Philadelphia Community Bail Fund on their Mama's Day Bail Out campaign. The PPC organized exhibitions, parades, press conferences, and events to raise awareness and funds for their campaign while sharing the stories, dreams, and demands of formerly incarcerated women with thousands of Philadelphians. In just two weeks ,the Bail Fund raised $97,000 and helped free 15 women for Mother’s Day.
This spring we're continuing the fight to free women and want you to be a part of it!
PAPER for your Prints: Transforming Criminal Records Into Beautiful Handmade Paper
The women at the PPC have taken their criminal record and pulped them to create new sheets of handmade paper. These can be used for any form of printmaking.
Art to inspire your posters: Poetry, photos, protest slogans and art made by formerly incarcerated women
The women at the PPC have created powerful poetry, photos, protest slogans and art. Their work will be shared with you to use as inspiration or materials for your own posters.
Help Free Our Mothers! Posters will be used to raise money to bail women out for mother's day
Posters will be used to raised funds for the 2019 Mama’s Day Bail Out Campaign by the Philadelphia Community Bail Fund. Copies of each poster will be given to women as part of their welcome home bag.
The Logistics
What we can provide each artist to help them create their prints:
A modest stipend of $400 for your time, materials and help to make this possible!
At least 10 sheets of handmade paper made by the women in our program out of shredded criminal records
Art, photos, poetry, and writing made by formerly incarcerated women in the People’s Paper Co-op advocacy fellowship program to use in and/or inspire your print series
All artists and their contribution will be highlighted on our website with links to individual artists
What we would need from each artist:
A commitment to have at least 1 video conversation with the women at the PPC to meet these amazing creative activists and help generate ideas for your art piece
To incorporate the women’s art, poetry, writing in some way into your finished art piece
To print/paint directly onto the handmade paper made from shredded criminal records, or otherwise directly incorporate the paper the women made into all finished art pieces
To complete a finished poster series no later than April 29
To document and/or ship finished print posters no later than May 1st
Where do the prints go?:
We are asking each artist to create between 2 and 10 prints
ALL prints (besides one) will be used to raised funds for the 2019 Mama’s Day Bail Out Campaign by the Philadelphia Community Bail Fund. 100% of purchasing price/donation will go to the Philadelphia Community Bail Fund to support their Mama’s Day Bail Out campaign
One print/piece will be included in the People’s Paper Co-op archive to be used for future exhibits, protests, and events to advocate for an end to cash bail and other campaigns to keep women free
Digital prints of posters created by participating artists can be printed indefinitely by the People’s Paper Co-op
Each woman bailed out in 2019 will receive a portfolio of all of the posters made by participating artists as part of their welcome home gift bag
These prints can NEVER be sold but only given out for free during parades, protests, pop-up exhibits, displayed on websites, etc (see more info in the timeline below)
Do I need to print it myself?
This is up to you. You can print them yourself or you can send us a 1-2 color silk screen digital file and we will work with the women in our program to print them ourselves.
TIMELINE:
March 27:Call for artists goes out
April 4th:Artists are selected and the PPC team will send each artist:
Art, photos, poetry, and writing made by formerly incarcerated women in the People’s Paper Co-op advocacy fellowship program
These can be used as direct source materials in artwork
Or simply be used as inspiration
10 sheets of handmade paper made by the women in our program out of shredded criminal records
April 29:Artists complete a finished print series and/or art piece(s)
May 1: Artists document and ship finished print series and/or art piece(s)
May 2nd - 9:Posters are shared as a fundraising tool to help raise money to bail mothers out for Mama’s Day Bail Out Campaing
May 9:Bail out Day!!! Art made by formerly incarcerated women at the PPC, as well as the posters that guest artists create, will be brought to the Riverside Correctional to create a pop-up art exhibit to welcome women bailed out
May 14:Free Our Mother’s Parade
Art made by formerly incarcerated women at the PPC, as well as the posters guest artists create, will be brought to City Hall as part of a press conference and parade to celebrate the bail out and call for an end to cash bail
Women in Reentry Day
The 3rd annual event will include an exhibition of art made by formerly incarceated women at the PPC, as well as the posters that guest artists create.
The annual event has engaged thousands of community members, city officials, advocates, and service providers